• HOME
  • FEATURES
    • Best Of Cover Shoot
    • Pet Owner’s Stories
    • People
    • Places
    • Issues
    • Remembering
    • Things
    • To Do
  • DEPARTMENTS
    • Finance / Real Estate
      • Financial Articles
      • Top 10 Most Expensive Homes Sold
      • Real Estate
        • Real Estate Experts
        • Articles
    • Attorney Directory
    • Ask the Experts
    • Business
      • Belle Hall Shopping Center
      • Lowcountry Women in Business
      • MP Business
    • Entertainment
      • Golf
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Food & Drink
    • Giving Back
    • Health & Wellness
      • COVID-19 Articles & Resources
    • House & Home
    • Learning
      • Wando High School
    • Love & Marriage
    • Pets
    • Relax & Retire
  • Read Magazine
  • MORE MAGS
    • Charleston Women 👩‍🏫🏢
    • Lowcountry Cuisine 🧀🍷
    • Best of Mt Pleasant Mag 🏆🏆
    • Charleston Women in Real Estate 👩🏘️
    • MP Business Mag 🏢
    • MP Pets 🐶🐱
    • Charleston Independent School Directory 🏫
    • MP Senior Living 👴👵
    • More Mags
      • IOP Mag
      • SI Mag
      • MP Town Hall Magazine
  • OUR TOWN
    • MP Town Hall
    • MP Town Council
  • DIRECTORIES
    • East Cooper Church Directory
    • East Cooper Fitness Directory
    • Local 2019 CPA Tax Directory
    • Mount Pleasant Apartment Directory
  • SUBSCRIBE

Mount Pleasant Magazine

Mount Pleasant Magazine (Mount Pleasant, SC) informs residents and visitors about people, places and happenings around our area.

Shop Belle Hall
  • Best of Mount Pleasant
    • 2021 Best of Mount Pleasant including Previous Years
    • Best of Mount Pleasant Winner Articles
    • 2021 Best of Mount Pleasant Cover Photo Shoot
    • Best Of Magazines
    • Best Of Videos
    • Best Of Party Photos
    • Best Of Plaques
  • Podcast
  • Local Events
  • Our Winners
  • Advertise
    • Advertise With Us
    • Media Kit
    • Video Testimonials
  • MORE
    • MP Neighborhoods
    • East Cooper Online Network
    • Real Estate Experts
    • Attorney Directory
    • News
    • Contact

A Horse is a Horse: The 2012 Charleston Cup

Posted by MPM 2 Comments

Mark Watts rode southern admiral to victory in the 2011 Charleston Cup.

Whether you’re a posh aficionado or scruffy smatterer, there is certainly a place for you amid the masses at The Charleston Cup.

Last year marked the first time in nearly a decade that hooves graced the grass at Stono Ferry for the celebrated steeplechase races. The increasingly popular event – a Lowcountry tradition since 1986 – returned to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2011 after an eight-year hiatus.

Thankfully, according to Karl McMillan, who has been a part of every Charleston Cup since its inauguration, the clamoring hooves weren’t the only things gracing the grounds of Stono Ferry; last year’s attendance, more than 10,000, reached near record-breaking levels. For McMillan and other organizers of the event, the turnout was reassuring, especially since they acquired the contract for last year’s race just three short months before showtime.

“We definitely didn’t have a lot of prep time,” McMillan said, adding that he is both impressed and awe-struck at the growing buzz surrounding the Cup.

“Eight years ago, we thought the Charleston Cup was fairly well-known, but there’s been so much growth in the tri-county area in the past eight years that we were really amazed at the number of people who had never heard of the event,” he confessed.

Now, with the help of tools such as Facebook and Twitter, McMillan feels like he and his team have been able to get the word out to an even wider audience, and they hope to see even more people come out to the Cup in 2012.

Last year’s race was special for Joe Bartone of Mount Pleasant. A thoroughbred breeder, he was the owner of the pregnant filly which, just a day after he sold it to Jeff Madden – also a Mount Pleasant resident – gave birth to Southern Admiral, the horse that would go on to take the 2011 Charleston Cup crown.

“The same night that Jeff took the horse home, the baby was born, and he slept with that baby all night long,” Bartone said with a sense of emotion in his voice.

Southern Admiral, only 2 years old, had begun race training, but, according to Bartone, had competed in only one jump race before running in the 2011 Charleston Cup steeplechase. Regardless of his experience, or lack thereof, Southern Admiral put on a show.

“We brought the horse to the Stono, and the horse won the first jump race. It was unbelievable,” Bartone said. “Jeff was so happy he was crying. He was really excited, and I was so happy for him to see that.”

Always set for the second weekend in November, this year will mark the 19th running of the Charleston Cup. McMillan said the race at Stono Ferry occupies a unique spot in the National Steeplechase Association’s circuit, taking place two weeks after the Aiken Steeplechase and just one week before the Colonial Cup, the grand finale of the steeplechase season.

As with all great sporting events, there is more to the Charleston Cup than the race itself. The weekend’s events include the traditional Charleston Cup Ball on Friday night, a golf tournament Saturday and then the races, four steeplechase and one flat, on Sunday. Even on race day, tailgating fashionistas flock to the parking lots for classy debauchery.

“It falls on a holiday weekend, so that should make for a good complete package for people,” McMillan said.

By Ryan Overhiser

Photos by Stephanie Smith

Sharing is Caring

Possibly Related:

No related posts.

Filed Under: Entertainment Tagged With: Fall 2012

Comments

  1. erika says

    August 14, 2012 at 9:24 pm

    what is the date and time?

    Reply
    • MPM Editor says

      August 15, 2012 at 2:20 pm

      Hi Erika, the date is November 11 which is a Sunday. The gates open at 9 a.m. and the race starts at noon. Thank you for reading Mount Pleasant Magazine, and be sure to LIKE us on Facebook!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search the Site


We're on Facebook We're on Twitter Mount Pleasant Magazine Youtube Channel We're on Pinterest Mount Pleasant Magazine Facebook Community We're on Instagram
READ ONLINE
Read the digital magazine now.
GRAB A COPY
Where can I pick up a copy of Mount Pleasant Magazine?
SUBSCRIBE
Get Mount Pleasant Magazine Delivered.
Pamper your pets at Hairy Winston Pet Boutique and Grocery!
McCay Kiddy CPAs & Advisors. More Than Numbers. Welcome to the New Age CPA Firm.
Enter your pet in the East Cooper Favorite Pets Photo Contest
Read Charleston Women Magazine online now.
Mount Pleasant's ONLY source for everything PETS!


Online Magazines

Mount Pleasant

Lifestyle Magazine

Read Isle of Palms

Magazine Online

Read Sullivan's Island

Magazine Online

Take a Bite

Lowcountry Cuisine Magazine

Georgetown, SC. Yummy Day Trips
Isle of Palms Magazine - family of sites logo
Mount Pleasant Magazine - family of sites logo
North Mount Pleasant Magazine - family of sites logo
Sullivan's Island Magazine - family of sites logo

Recent Posts

Michael’s Barkery Pet Spa & Boutique: A ‘Paws-i-tive’ Experience

By Colin McCandless Michael’s Barkery Pet Spa & Boutique, winner of Best Pet-friendly Business, may have just turned one last November, but that’s still a wealth of experience in dog years, and … Continue Reading

Southern Belles: A Children’s Clothier, Shop for Family, Feel Like Family

By Ali McCloud More than ever, it’s important to support small businesses within our community. “Local businesses have to work so hard to compete with big-box stores like Amazon and other … Continue Reading

Daniel Island Section

Keeping the Dream of Playing Tennis Alive: The South Carolina Junior Tennis Foundation

Since 1973, South Carolina’s Lowcountry has welcomed players from the Women’s Tennis Association once a year for the annual Volvo Car Open, North America’s largest women-only tennis tournament. … Continue Reading

Truly One-of-a-kind: 369 Ralston Creek Drive

Big cities certainly have advantages – culture, dining, employment opportunities and excitement. But face it: Sometimes people yearn for a peaceful, serene atmosphere where they can relax, raise a … Continue Reading

More Daniel Island Section Posts

SEARCH

Featured Pages

Mount Pleasant Apartments
East Cooper Online Network

Copyright © 2021 · Mount Pleasant Magazine, All Rights Reserved. Advertise With Us.